Jack Rocha, MUPP
Community Development Planner
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About
Jack Rocha, MUPP, is a Community Development Planner with the Great Cities Institute (GCI) at University of Illinois at Chicago (2013-present), where he engages in urban planning, research, and building connections between local communities and the Great Cities Institute’s Neighborhoods Initiative. Projects include commercial corridor plans with Chicago’s South Chicago community area and Calumet City, a suburb south of Chicago; and neighborhood plans for the Rosemoor and North Pullman, and the Back of the Yards communities. He is also responsible for organizing community development projects as part of GCIs continued commitment to Chicago’s Southeast Side. He works on program development with other UIC departments related to GCI initiatives. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science (2004) and Master of Urban Planning and Policy (2015), both from University of Illinois at Chicago.
Previously, Rocha interned with Claretian Associates (2014), a Chicago community development corporation, where he engaged in homeowner outreach, developed a database of housing constructed by Claretian Associates, designed a survey for homeowner engagement, and created detailed descriptors of Claretian housing styles. He also served as an intern for Chicago’s 10th Ward Alderman (2011-2013), where he helped coordinate government services for residents and completed policy research.
Rocha’s interests include neighborhood history and change, urban design, community development, housing, manufacturing, and workforce development.